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Master storyteller, a sucker for romance, and a lover of educating others in photography. Based in Winston Salem, North Carolina. I love my slobbery puppy Boris, baking treats at midnight, and planning trips with my medical student husband. My purpose it to help you create the most genuine and beautifully raw experience through photography!

Hi, I'm Hillary!

What wedding photography equipment to buy first?

When you are starting your wedding photography business, things can get expensive real fast! I easily own 10-15k in equipment! But it definitely didn’t start that way, and neither will it you! You can be adequately equipped to start shooting weddings for way less. So what wedding photography equipment should you buy first?

Camera Body

If you are serious about shooting professionally, get a full-frame camera. They are more money then the average cropped frame cameras you can get at target or costco, but are worth it because they have a larger sensor size, better low light capabilities, and a higher dynamic range which gives you a higher quality image. If you are turning your hobby into a business, producing high quality images for your clients is very important. Full frame cameras usually start at around $1300 new but I bought my first one used for $600 and it was great! Just make sure it has a low shutter count if you buy used.

50mm Lens

Out of all my lenses, my 50mm is what I use 90% of the time. I love that it’s a prime lens so that I can shoot at super low apertures, and it’s the lens that has the least amount of distortion. This was the first lens that I invested in and I love it so much!

35mm Lens

When I’m not using my 50mm lens, I’m usually using my 35mm. Because it’s a wide lens, it does have a little bit more distortion, but it’s great for when I’m shooting flat lays or indoor portraits and I just don’t have any room to back up and use my 50mm. It’s also a prime lens so I can still shoot at those low apertures which gives my those blurry backgrounds and creamy skin tones.

On-Camera Flash

My reception images depend so heavy on a good, reliable on-camera flash. Although I’m a natural light photographer, my #1 priority always is getting quality images for my clients and there is only so much my camera can do in low light. After pushing my shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to it’s limits, the quality of the image it’s producing can go downhill very quickly. This is where a good on-camera flash comes to the rescue! Great quality images while using on-camera flash, but still keeping everything as natural-looking as possible.

Well there you have it! When I started my photography business, these were the first 4 items that I invested in! If you’d like to see my full wedding photography equipment lineup, visit THIS LINK so see everything I carry in my bag!

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Master storyteller, a sucker for romance, and a lover of educating others in photography. Based in Winston Salem, North Carolina. I love my slobbery puppy Boris, baking treats at midnight, and planning trips with my medical student husband. My purpose it to help you create the most genuine and beautifully raw experience through photography!